Space telegraphy.



J. S. STONE. SPACE TELEGRAPHY.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 15. 1904 NO 767,9 PATBNTED AUG. 16, 1904.

WIT 55555 a I l \/E\I'I;EH=\: X Kiwi 02 E W, P PW UNITE STATES Patented August 16, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN STONE STONE, OF CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS. ASSIGNOR TO WILLIAM W. SWAN, TRUSTEE, OF BROOKLINE, MASSACHUSETTS.

SPACE TELEGRAPHY.

SIEOIFIGATIOI\T forming part of Letters Patent No. 767,998, dat g t 16, 1904. I

Original application filed November 25, 1903 Serial No. 182,634. Divided and this application filed February 15, 1904. Serial No.193,593- (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN STONE STONE, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Cambridge, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Space Telegraphy, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the art of transmitting intelligence from one station to an other by means of electromagnetic Waves without the use of wires to guide the Waves to their destination, and it relates more particularly to the system of such transmission in which the electromagnetic waves are developed by producing electric vibrations in an elevated conductor, preferably vertically elevated.

'In my Letters Patent No. 714,756, dated December 2, 1902, I have described such system of space telegraphy in which forced simple harmonic electric vibrations are developed in an elevated conductor by means of a sonorous or persistently-oscillating circuit associated therewith. In this system and in other systems of space telegraphy inoperation today it has been found necessary to employ elevated transmitting or radiating conductors of considerable height in order to transmit appreciable amounts of energy by electromagnetic waves over commercial distances.

This invention consists of an apparatus for transmitting large amounts of energy by electromagnetic waves without the use of the high vertical conductors heretofore employed. The invention may be best understood by having reference to the drawing which accompanies and forms a part of this specification.

In the drawing the figure represents one embodiment of my invention whereby the employment of a high vertical conductor is rendered unnecessary.

In the figure, A is an alternating-current generator. 76 is a key. M M are transformers, which may be step-up transformers. I1 I2 are the primary and secondary windings of the transformer M. L is an inductance. O O

are condensers. s is a spark-gap. V is an elevated conductor consisting of a metal plate, preferably circular in form and parallel to earth and Whose diameter, and consequently whose periphery, is preferably great compared to its distance from the ground. However, a metallic plate of any other shape or any other suitable laterally extending conducting member may be employed, and preferably its distance from the ground should be small compared to its smallest dimension.

The natural period of the sonorous circuit 8 O I1 L is made equal to the fundamental period of the elevated-00nd uctor system, consisting of the metal plate V or other suitable laterally-extending conducting member and its connection 0 I2 E to earth or to some harmonicof said fundamental period, and for this purpose the electromagnetic constants of the sonorous circuit may be varied. A condenser C may be connected in the circuit 0 I2 E for the purpose hereinafter set forth.

The function of the auxiliary inductance L is, as explained in my hereinbefore-mentioned Letters Patent, to swamp the efiect of the mutualinductance between the sonorous circuit and the elevated-conductor system, and thereby to reduce the complex of interrelated circuits to the equivalent of a system of circuits each having a single degree of freedom, so that simple harmonic electromagnetic waves of a frequency determined by the capacity and inductance of the sonorous circuit may be radiated.

The reactance at the driving-point 0 for slow frequencies is determined by the capacity of the plate V with respect to earth and varies as the area of this plate and inversely as its separation from earth. As the frequency is increased the reactance at the driving-point 0 is in the nature of a capacity reactance and diminishes as the frequency increases, finally becoming zero when the frequency is equal to the fundamental frequency a of the elevatedconductor system. For any further increase in frequency from this point the reactance at the driving-point 0 becomes in the nature of an inductance reactance, which increases as the frequency is further increased, the curve which shows the variation of reactance with frequency becoming asymptotic with the ordinate drawn in the positive direction from the point on the axis of abscissae representing the first harmonic 2a of the fundamental frequency a. As the frequency passes through the value 2% the reactance of the drivingpoint 0 suddenly changes from an inductance reactance of infinite value to a capacity reactance of infinite value, the curve which shows the variation of reactance with frequency being asymptotic to the ordinate drawn in the negative direction from the point on the axis of abscissze representing the first harmonic 212. of the fundamental frequency a. When the frequency is equal to the first harmonic 2n and the reactance at the driving-point 0 is infinite, the elevated-conductor system refuses to vibrate-i. a, the elevated-conductor system is then equal in length to a half-wave length of the oscillations impressed upon it. As the frequency is further increased from the first harmonic the capacity reactance again wanes, becoming Zero when the frequency is equal to the second harmonic 372. of the fundamental frequency a, and so on. In other words, the curve showing the variation of reactance at the driving-point 0 with frequency is a discontinuous curve, which is zero when the frequency is equal to the fundamental frequency a, which passes from plus infinity to minus infinity as the frequency passes through the value in, which is zero when the frequency is 3%, which passes from plus infinity to minus infinity as the frequency passes through the value 412, which is zero when the frequency is 5%, and so on, the positive values of said curve representing inductance reactances and the negative values thereof representing capacity reactances.

When the reactance at the driving-point 0 is an inductance reactance, a condenser of suitable value is inserted in the conductor 0 12 E, as shown at C, in order to balance said reactance, so that the fundamental period of the elevated-conductor system will be equal to the frequency of the oscillations or vibrations developed by the sonorous circuits C L L or to some multiple or submultiple of such frequency.

This application is a division of my application, Serial'No. 182,634, filed November 25, 1903.

I claim 1. In a system of space telegraphy, an elevated-conductor system comprising a metallic plate of periphery large compared with its distance above the earth and means, including a condenser, connecting said plate to earth.

2. In a system of space telegraphy, an elevated-conductor system comprising a metallic plate of periphery large compared with its distance above the earth and means, including a condenser, connecting said plate to earth in combination with means for developing electric vibrations in said elevated-00mluctor sys- 3. In a system of space telegraph an elevated-conductor system comprising a metallic plate of periphery large compared with its distance above the earth and means, including a condenser, connecting said plate to earth in combination with means for developing forced electric vibrations in said elcvated-conductor system.

4:. In a system of space telegraphy, an elevated-conductor system comprising a metallic plate of periphery large compared with its distance above the earth and means, including a condenser, connecting said plate to earth in combination with means for developing forced simple harmonic electric vibrations in said elevated-comluctor system.

5. In a system of space telegraph y, an elevated-conductor system comprising a metallic plate of periphery large compared with its distance above the earth and means, including a condenser, connecting said plate to earth in combination with means for developing in said elevated-comluctor system electric viln'ations of a period equal to the fundamental period of said elevated-conductor system or to some harmonic of such fundamental period.

6. In a system of space telegraphy, an elevated-conductor system comprising a laterally-extending metal plate and means, including a condenser, connecting said metal plate to earth.

7. In a system of space telegraphy, an elevated-conductor system comprising a laterally-extending conducting member and means, including a condenser, connecting said member to earth.

8. In a system of space telegraphy, an elevated-conductor system comprising a laterally-extending conducting member and means, including a condenser, connecting said member to earth in combination with means for developing electric vibrations in said elevatedconductor system.

9. In a system of space telegraphy, an elevated-conductor system comprising a laterally-extending conducting member and means, including a condenser, connecting said member to earth in combination with means for developing therein electric vibrations of a period equal to the fundamental period of said elevated-conductor system or to some harmonic of such fundamental period.

10. In a system of space telegraph y, an elevated-conductor system comprising a metallic plate of periphery large compared with its distance above the earth and means, including a condenser, connecting said plate to earth in combination with a sonorous circuit for developing electric vibrations in said elevatedconductor system.

11. In a system of space telegraphy, an ele vated-conductor system comprising a metallic plate of periphery large compared with its distance above the earth and means, including a condenser; connecting said plate to earth in combination with a sonorous circuit for developing therein electric vibrations of a period equal to the fundamental period of said elevated-conductor system or to some harmonic of such fundamental period.

12. In a system of space telegraphy, an elevated-conductor system comprising a laterally-extending conducting member and means, including a condenser, connecting said member to earth in combination with a sonorous circuit for developing electric vibrations in said elevated-conductor system.

13. In a system of space telegraphy, an ele vated-conductor system comprising a laterall y-extending conductingmember and means, including a condenser, connecting said member to earth in combination with a sonorous circuit for developing therein electric vibrations of a period equal to, the fundamental period of said elevated-conductor system or to some harmonic of such fundamental period.

14. In a system of space telegraphy, means for developing electric vibrations of definite frequency associated with an elevated-conductor system comprising a metal plate of periphery large compared with its distance above the earth and a condenser for balancing the reactance of said elevated-conductor sys* tem for electric Vibrations of said definite frequency. v

15. In a system of space telegraphy, asonorous circuit for developing electric vibrations of definite frequency associated with an elevated-conductor system comprising a metal plate of periphery large compared with its distance above the earth and a condenser for balancing the reactance of theelevated-cOnductor system for electric vibrations of said definite frequency.

16. In a system of space telegraphy means fordeveloping electric vibrations of definite frequency associated with an elevated-conductor system comprising a laterally-extending conducting member and a condenser for balancing the reactance of the elevated-conductor system for electric vibrations of saiddefinite frequency.

17. In a system of space telegraphy, a sono rous circuit for developing electric vibrations of definite frequency associated with an elevated -'conductor system comprising a laterally-extending conducting member and a condenser for balancingcthe reactance of the elevated-conductor systemfor electric vibrations of said definite frequency.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name this llth day of February,

JOHN STONE STONE. Witnesses:

BRAINERD T. JUDKINS, G. ADELAIDE HIGGINS. 

